A Look at Resort 2011: Lanvin

“What we all felt we had to do with resort,” Alber Elbaz was telling us, “is not just about image, or telling a story—it has to be about what a woman needs.” You could argue that Elbaz never stops thinking about what a woman needs when he is designing Lanvin, but okay, we get the point: When resort has to be all things to all women, the point of it for him is to come up with clothes that work in so many different ways, moments, and places. What he has done here is less of a collection, and more of an assortment of pieces that can be worn any which way and worked into the wardrobe you already have at home. In the mood for a reversible raincoat (cream waterproof cotton to lightweight gray wool) that could look sensational over a faded gold dress? Well, you came to the right label. Or how about a short, black A-line dress that zippers down the back and then reverses to reveal rows of tulle ruffles? “A lot of people are saying that women are wanting more minimal pieces,” Elbaz said, “but if they get too minimal, you lose the dream.” And you’ve got to love the way that he listens to just about everyone when they give him feedback on his clothes. A case in point: The manager of Lanvin’s recently opened Miami store told Elbaz that women were coming in wearing long dresses with purses and flats for day. “So I realized long doesn’t just need to mean red carpet,” the designer said, as a superlightweight python-print silk floor-length dress twirled in front of the camera. “Walk, move, Olga!” Elbaz urged the model. “It should fly with you!”